Hanne Cottyn

I am a historian and an activist with a special interest in social protest, extractivism, peasants and indigenous communities, and llamas. I currently work at Ghent University as a researcher and lecturer. I try to understand and explain land conflicts, changing rural societies and the contradictions of capitalism in the Andes. I often travel to Bolivia and Peru to conduct research and raise awareness on these topics in collaboration with local organizations and communities. In Belgium, I teach about conflict and development in Latin America. I have been involved for many years in CATAPA vzw, an activist movement supporting communities in Latin America threatened by large-scale mining projects and raising international awareness about the social and environmental impact of extractivism.